The Dharmasthala “mass burial” case has taken an unexpected turn, with the arrest of the complainant who had claimed to be a whistleblower in an alleged case of mass rapes and murders in a Karnataka village. The complainant, CN Chinnayya alias Chenna, has been arrested for lying under oath, officials said, pointing out that his claims were found to be false and fabricated.

Chenna has been named for the first time in the series of developments related to Dharmasthala; he was earlier referred to as the ‘masked man’ as he had kept his identity hidden while seeking protection as a witness in the alleged crimes.

During the inquiry, he had recorded his statement with the magistrate, but the Special Investigation Team (SIT) wasn’t convinced. During cross-questioning based on their findings, the SIT found he had been lying. They took off his witness protection and arrested him for perjury.

Visuals this morning showed Chenna being taken for a medical checkup before being produced in the court.

In another shocking U-turn related to the case, a woman has backtracked on her claim that her daughter had gone missing in Dharmasthala. Sujata Bhat had claimed that her daughter, Ananya Bhat, apparently an MBBS student, had gone missing. She later told a local YouTube channel that Ananya never existed. In another U-turn, she has claimed that she was under duress to make such a statement.

The Dharmasthala controversy had erupted in July with Chenna entering a police station with a skull and claiming that he had helped bury hundreds of bodies, including those of young women who were allegedly sexually assaulted. What followed was a month-long investigation.

The case led to a massive political flashpoint with the BJP accusing the Congress of trying to defame the temple town and not doing anything to stop the “propaganda”. The BJP is trying to derive political mileage from the issue, the Congress maintained.

The latest developments give the BJP more ammunition to target the government and question its motive behind having an SIT probe.

Speaking to NDTV, BJP MLA Bharath Shetty alleged that the “masked man” and Sujata Bhat were mere players at the front following someone else’s instructions, and the ones controlling them from behind need to be exposed.

He also expressed doubt over the formation of the SIT just after the local police sought narco-analysis of the complainant. He alleged heavy funding behind pushing false claims, like bodies being found at Dharmasthala. Accusing the Congress government of allowing this “drama” to continue, he called it an attempt to make a religious place appear in a bad light.

The Congress government has hit back at the BJP and called them “fence-sitters”. The BJP initially didn’t say anything; everyone had welcomed the SIT probe, said Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar.

“The Dharmasthala family themselves met the Chief Minister and said that we are doing a good job.